Registry Clean Expert

[larry39]

Since CCleaner doesn't compact the registry, I decided to try the trial version (4.57) of Registry Clean Expert. I had read some good reports on it on this forum.

 

In Expert, when I start the registry scan, sometimes an error window pops up and the program terminates before I can read the error. Sometimes the scan begins with the error still displayed with mostly cryptic text. The items scanned and problems found remained at 0. Problems found remaining at zero sounded great but it seemed to me the items scanned should have been incrementing. Because of the error, I wasn't sure Expert was doing what it was supposed to do, so after letting it run a bit, I stopped the scan.

 

Their suport group was no help-- they advised to uninstall, reboot and install again. I did this and got the same results when I ran the program.

 

I have Windows Home XP SP2 with all updates. The text of the error is given below. Except for the first four lines it seems to be all gibberish (at least to me). The error message gives some info on my system which is correct except it indicates my processor speed is 0MHz. Now that would be a really slooooooooooooooooow processor. Its actually a 3.06 GHz.

 

Expert would be a very useful progam if i could use it. Anyone have any ideas on the problem?

 

Here is the error:OS: Windows XP Home Edition, SP2

CPU: GenuineIntel, Intel Pentium 4, MMX @ 0 MHz

Module name: C:\Program Files\Registry Clean Expert\RCleaner.exe

Application data:

VmVyc2lvbjogV2xOblpXcHdjSFo4SlVWcVltWm1LRXh4ZW05NWYxRWd

MVlk2SWk4NlBEQW1QVElpVGo4MEdSOU9KemdrSWpoNmJIQjJmanNyS2

pJdkt6NU1lbk5GUVZKRWZ3NERlRzlGVVVBR2QwNVNkUVk9DQpJbWFnZ

UJhc2U6IDAwNDAwMDAwDQotMQ0KQ29kZSA9IFsxMTRdDQotIDIyMQ0K

LSAwDQotIDIyMA0KLSAwDQotIFtdDQo+IEM6XFByb2dyYW0gRmlsZXN

cUmVnaXN0cnkgQ2xlYW4gRXhwZXJ0XFJDbGVhbmVyLmV4ZQ0KDQppRX

hwZXJ0IFNvZnR3YXJlDQpSZWdpc3RyeSBDbGVhbiBFeHBlcnQNCjQsI

DUsIDcsIDANClJlZ2lzdHJ5IENsZWFuIEV4cGVydA0KQ29weXJpZ2h0

IChDKSAyMDAxLTIwMDgNClJlZ2lzdHJ5IENsZWFuIEV4cGVydA0KNCw

gNSwgNywgMA0KUmVnaXN0cnkgQ2xlYW4gRXhwZXJ0DQoNCj4gQzpcV0

lORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zMlxudGRsbC5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1xze

XN0ZW0zMlxrZXJuZWwzMi5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0z

MlxzaGZvbGRlci5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zMlxtc3Z

jcnQuZGxsDQo+IEM6XFdJTkRPV1Ncc3lzdGVtMzJcQURWQVBJMzIuZG

xsDQo+IEM6XFdJTkRPV1Ncc3lzdGVtMzJcUlBDUlQ0LmRsbA0KPiBDO

lxXSU5ET1dTXHN5c3RlbTMyXHZlcnNpb24uZGxsDQo+IEM6XFdJTkRP

V1Ncc3lzdGVtMzJcc2hs d2FwaS 5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1xzeXN

0ZW0zMlxHREkzMi5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zMlxVU0

VSMzIuZGxsDQo+IEM6XFdJTkRPV1Ncc3lzdGVtMzJcY29tZGxnMzIuZ

GxsDQo+IEM6XFdJTkRPV1Ncc3lzdGVtMzJcQ09NQ1RMMzIuZGxsDQo+

IEM6XFdJTkRPV1Ncc3lzdGVtMzJcU0hFTEwzMi5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0l

ORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zMlx3aW5zcG9vbC5kcnYNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1

xzeXN0ZW0zMlxvbGVkbGcuZGxsDQo+IEM6XFdJTkRPV1Ncc3lzdGVtM

zJcb2xlMzIuZGxsDQo+IEM6XFdJTkRPV1Ncc3lzdGVtMzJcb2xlcHJv

MzIuZGxsDQo+IEM6XFdJTkRPV1Ncc3lzdGVtMzJcT0xFQVVUMzIuZGx

sDQo+IEM6XFdJTkRPV1Ncc3lzdGVtMzJcd2luaW5ldC5kbGwNCj4gQz

pcV0lORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zMlxOb3JtYWxpei5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0lOR

E9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zMlxpZXJ0dXRpbC5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1xX

aW5TeFNceDg2X01pY3Jvc29mdC5XaW5kb3dzLkNvbW1vbi1Db250cm9

sc182NTk1YjY0MTQ0Y2NmMWRmXzYuMC4yNjAwLjI5ODJfeC13d19hYz

NmOWMwM1xjb21jdGwzMi5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zM

lx3c29jazMyLmRsbA0KPiBDOlxXSU5ET1dTXHN5c3RlbTMyXFdTMl8z

Mi5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zMlxXUzJIRUxQLmRsbA0

KPiBDOlxXSU5E T1dTXH N5c3RlbTMyXHBzYXBpLmRsbA0KPiBDOlxXSU

5ET1dTXHN5c3RlbTMyXHNoZG9jdncuZGxsDQo+IEM6XFdJTkRPV1Ncc

3lzdGVtMzJcQ1JZUFQzMi5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0z

MlxNU0FTTjEuZGxsDQo+IEM6XFdJTkRPV1Ncc3lzdGVtMzJcQ1JZUFR

VSS5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zMlxXSU5UUlVTVC5kbG

wNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zMlxJTUFHRUhMUC5kbGwNCj4gQ

zpcV0lORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zMlxORVRBUEkzMi5kbGwNCj4gQzpcV0lO

RE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zMlxXTERBUDMyLmRsbA0KPiBDOlxXSU5ET1dTXHN

5c3RlbTMyXHVzZXJlbnYuZGxsDQo+IEM6XFdJTkRPV1Ncc3lzdGVtMz

JcQXBwaGVscC5kbGwNCj4gQzpcUHJvZ3JhbSBGaWxlc1xCZWxsc291d

GhcSGVscENlbnRlcjQwYlxiaW5cc3BydGhvb2suZGxsDQoNClN1cHBv

cnRTb2Z0LCBJbmMuDQpzcHJ0aG9vaw0KNiw5LDIwMTgsMA0Kc3BydGh

vb2sNCkNvcHlyaWdodCAxOTk3LTIwMDYgU3VwcG9ydFNvZnQNCnNwcn

Rob29rLmRsbA0KNi45LjIwMTguMA0KU3VwcG9ydFNvZnQsIEluYy4gc

3BydGhvb2sNCg0KPiBDOlxXSU5ET1dTXHN5c3RlbTMyXE9MRUFDQy5k

bGwNCj4gQzpcV0lORE9XU1xzeXN0ZW0zMlxNU1ZDUDYwLmRsbA0KPiB

DOlxXSU5ET1dTXHN5c3RlbTMyXFNlY3VyMzIuZGxs

[CeeCee]

larry39 said:

Since CCleaner doesn't compact the registry

If you just want to compact the registry, use this instead:

 

It's FREE.

[larry39]

I ran the program and was supprised my registry was not as fragmented as I thought it might be. It was reduced from about 52k to about 50K, approximately 4%. I don't have a feel for what's normal but I've had my PC for a little over three years and I expected the registry to be more fragmented. Ayway its a good tool to have and you are right, free is good.

 

Thanks for the link.

[YoKenny]

I like and use RegSeeker to find and remove useless registry entries then NTREGOPT to compact the registry.

 

They usually find some registry entries to remove after an un-install and then a compact run usually finds 2% compaction then a reboot is definitely recommended.

[JDPower]

YoKenny said:

I like and use RegSeeker to find and remove useless registry entries then NTREGOPT to compact the registry.

I still use NTRegOpt too, have tried the above one and Auslogics Reg Defrag but NTRegOpt is fast and small and never had any reason to change.

Would recommend extreme caution with RegSeeker though (even though I use it myself occasionally, would never clean everything it finds though)

[CeeCee]

YoKenny said:

NTREGOPT to compact the registry.

 

a compact run usually finds 2% compaction.

NTREGOPT is good, but there's no "Analyze" option, which (IMO) makes 'Free Registry Defrag' better.

 

If there will be only 2% difference, then defragging is not really needed. 'Free Registry Defrag' says then that defragging is not necassary.

 

JDPower said:

NTRegOpt is fast and small

FRD is fast and small too. There's only 3 files in the folder: http://xs.to/xs.php?h=xs223&d=08052&f=regdef792.jpg

[Andavari]

I ran the program and was supprised my registry was not as fragmented as I thought it might be. It was reduced from about 52k to about 50K, approximately 4%. I don't have a feel for what's normal but I've had my PC for a little over three years and I expected the registry to be more fragmented.

It depends upon how much you install and uninstall for the fragmentation to increase, although the registry will slowly grow by a few small KB each day over a very long time even if you don't install and uninstall that much software.

 

Only 4% reg fragmentation on a three year old PC is absolutely stunning!

[q231]

i you want to compact registry i recommend Auslogics Registry Defrag

[larry39]

I have seen several registry tools mentioned on his forum with varying degrees of endorsement. For example, RegSeeker is mentioned but JD recommends caution when using it. I take it this means that RegSeeker is more agressive in its registry scan than some others.

 

I was wondering, for those like me who are just getting into registry tools, has any independent formal comparisons been made by any publications or individuals of at least some of these tools, either freeware and/or commercial?

[CeeCee]

I take it this means that RegSeeker is more agressive in its registry scan than some others.

Yes it is, but it also finds "valid" invalid entries, that some other registry cleaners don't find. It's good, just be careful with it.

[JDPower]

I have seen several registry tools mentioned on his forum with varying degrees of endorsement. For example, RegSeeker is mentioned but JD recommends caution when using it. I take it this means that RegSeeker is more agressive in its registry scan than some others.

 

I was wondering, for those like me who are just getting into registry tools, has any independent formal comparisons been made by any publications or individuals of at least some of these tools, either freeware and/or commercial?

Not really as ALL reg cleaners are dangerous in the hands of someone uncertain of what they are doing. If that is a description that fits you I'd suggest just sticking with CCleaners reg cleaner and leave more aggressive ones well alone (don't believe the reg cleaner hype, eg "Our cleaner found 10 million entries and your system will be 10000% faster if you remove them" etc)

[CeeCee]

I'd suggest just sticking with CCleaners reg cleaner and leave more aggressive ones well alone

Yes, your registry is still relatively clean after using CCleaner. Atleast cleaner than before using it.

[larry39]

I googled 'registry cleaner comparisons' and got a few results with some not so useful information. Typically the products were listed in order of preference where features were weighted. I say less than useful information because most of the comparisons listed the same products but in different order of rating. Eye of the beholder I suppose, but it did make me wonder if the 'experts' were promoting one product over the other.

 

At the present time I am very satisfied with the capabilities of CCleaner. Its a great program and very safe. I have had only one occasion where I have had to merge a backup file. But at some point, after I've gained more experience, I'm sure I will want to go beyond what CCleaner can do. File cleaning, registry cleaning, Compactor, startup sequencer, full registry backups, etc. and it would be nice to do all that from one program. That is what prompted me to try the trial Registry Clean Expert. But rather than looking for comparison reports, I will continue to read comments on registry tools on this forum. There are a lot of tech savy members and I have already learned a lot in the short time since I joined.

 

BTW, I if anyone has any thoughts on my original question (Post No 1) I would like to hear them.

[Andavari]

larry39 said:

full registry backups

Look no further than ERUNT, it's 100% free, small, and fast.

[larry39]

Thanks, I have downloaded the software and will be trying it out.

[CeeCee]

Andavari said:

Look no further than ERUNT, it's 100% free, small, and fast.

Yes, ERUNT is very good. And it's lightning fast. Just made a backup with it a while ago.

 

Btw, how often do you backup your registry? I do it about once a month.

[larry39]

For me, once a month sounded good also. But as Andavari pointed out, the registry can grow and change even though you might not install and uninstall a lot of software. The comment reminded me that the registry changes for other reasons, for example changes in user profiles So, when I installed ERUNT, I used the option to have it backup the registry each time my PC boots. This may be overkill, but I've got plenty of disk space and I can always cull the backup copies.

[CeeCee]

when I installed ERUNT, I used the option to have it backup the registry each time my PC boots. This may be overkill

Actually, it seems a good idea, since registry changes basicly all the time. Also, because ERUNT does the backup so fast, it won't affect on Windows startup time.

 

Is it possible to enable this option, after ERUNT is already installed?

[larry39]

Their notes and readme file on their web page give examples of command line switches but since the install is so fast it might be easier to uninstall it and reinstall with the auto feature selected.

[DennisD]

Actually, it seems a good idea, since registry changes basicly all the time. Also, because ERUNT does the backup so fast, it won't affect on Windows startup time.

 

Is it possible to enable this option, after ERUNT is already installed?

 

That's the way I have it configured, and as you say, the startup time isn't really affected.

 

As far as I could tell, no, it can't be enabled after install. I simply reinstalled ERUNT when I decided to run it at startup.

 

A nice feature about running it at startup, is it only makes the single backup per day, regardless of how many times you boot up your pc.

[Andavari]

Btw, how often do you backup your registry? I do it about once a month.

I make an ERUNT registry backup everyday simply because I don't trust System Restore to resurrect the registry if something goes wrong. I find that sometimes System Restore causes more problems than it attempts to repair, and in most instances I only need to restore the registry.

[hotdoge3]

Backup Reg don't back up spyware as spyware got in my one fix was get a new one my size -20%

ERUNT is good